In this assignment, we will zoom out to a larger concentric circle and consider the health of the entire community. On a larger scale, this impacts the health of those within it and creates the context for this group of people and what types of facilitators and barriers to health they have collectively.
Communities are unique, just as individuals are unique, and if we are going to be effective as health providers, we need to understand the community our patients live in; at least enough to make recommendations that make sense and to provide culturally safe care.
If we live in the community we serve, then this comes naturally. If we do not, then it takes much more effort on our part, to gain that understanding (and we are much more likely to make mistakes). This is one reason why culturally concordant care leads to improves patient health outcomes.
We can use the same stages of health promotion that we used for an individual, but apply it on the community level:
- Assessment
- Planning
- Intervention
- Evaluation
Fortunately, we will not be responsible for performing a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA), since this is a very complex task.
We will, however, ask you to find the one that exists for the community you live in, or that is nearest to you for this assignment. If you work or plan to work as an APRN in a different community from your own, you may choose to use that one. You will search for and find the CHNA to use for this assignment, and become familiar with it.
This will provide several benefits for you. First, you will get to know the health status of your community better, and second, you will learn more about the process of assessing community health. Additionally, you will learn how to go about planning, creating interventions, collaborating with partners, and evaluating efforts.
Keep in mind that this assignment is meant to be an introductory to community assessment. We will cover a lot of ground quickly and we realize that we could go deeper with this. The goal is to make sure that as APRNs and leaders in the field, you are able to access data, interpret it, and formulate evidence-based recommendations to help your community.
Hot tip: If you find that you love community health, consider that this could be a nursing specialty area for you. Many nurses and APRNs find that they love working on a larger scale, such as in community or public health, especially if policy work is your cup of tea, you will want to consider working in these broader fields.
Assignment Objectives
- Identify the stages of health promotion as they pertain to a community health assessment and implementation plan.
- Assess and identify health disparities amongst vulnerable populations according to community data reports.
- Recognize community interventions, agencies, and policies when advocating for vulnerable populations.
- Identify community partners and consider effective ways to collaborate to meet community health goals.
